Nootka - any one been?

I've been invited to join a trip to Nootka this summer in late July. Will be out there for 6 nights. This is a boat in only type deal - the lodge is on Nootka island and there are 4 boats and about 12 guys on the trip. So I'll be towing my boat up, taking the ferry, and then driving over to gold river and launching there. I've heard it's a long day getting out there. Has anyone fished out of Nootka before and have any recommendations/info to share? Basically, I'm wondering how much I'll be fishing outside vs. in the sound if targeting coho on the fly. The guys I'm joining have done this trip before, but they are fishing with downriggers for kings. Thanks

I have fished up there quit a bit as my dad owned a house in Tahsis. If you are targeting Coho they seem to run in two distinct times. Late June early July you get the 5-7lb fish, then they disappear. Then in Sept the big boys show up. I have done some buck tailing in Sept with some success but if your guys are fishing Downriggers you may want to do as in Rome. On the flip side you could have a blast with Bottom fish in and around the Kelp.

Thanks Patrick. I would think the coho would be pretty thick, at least outside Nootka, come late July. They typically are at swiftsure then, but I'll be 80 miles away. I am looking forward to some outstanding rockfish fishing and maybe lingcod too if open. Need to check the regs. Any guess on how long the total drive is to gold river from seattle (assuming I time the ferry ok)?

Sorry all of my fishing occurred inside. I would bet that the highway as they call it would hold silvers all summer. It's a cool place inside and we never had to go outside to get our fish although sometimes it took most of the day with conventional gear.

hey, i spend a fair bit of time up around that area as I have a cabin out there. As for weather and fishing offshore, its totally hit and miss, you could easily have good weather and be able to fish offshore every single day....its pretty likely that you'll get a few days offshore. July is a pretty mellow time of the year up there for swell/wind, some NW winds in the afternoon but usually calm until midday. You should have no troubles finding coho with your fly rod around kelp beds on the outside, even on the inside, but less likely.

I mostly fish around there in late June early August, I only fish the kelp beds and the coho seem to run all the way from 5lbs and up to the big bruiser types. Use a sink tip or even a full sink depending on the depths, and any clousers or minnow patterns (needlefish, etc) should work fine. Once you find the fish you'll catch them, they don't seem too choosy when i'm up there. And the area I fish is only 20km south of Nootka (as the crow flies)...